The Verdict
The ninth installment in The Conjuring universe, directed by Michael Chaves and marketed as the franchise finale for the Warrens, brings Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga back one last time as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. It's based on the real-life Smurl haunting case, and it sends the most beloved couple in modern horror off into the sunset with all the haunted-house furniture you'd expect.
Then the numbers came in: nearly $500 million worldwide, making this the highest-grossing film in the entire series. Audiences turned the Warrens' goodbye into an event. The 54 Metacritic and mixed reviews tell the other half of the story, this is a victory lap that critics found a little too comfortable in its own well-worn jump-scare grooves.
Here's the bright side, and it's earned: Wilson and Farmiga remain the warm, lived-in heart of this whole machine, and a finale built around their chemistry has real emotional payoff even when the scares feel familiar. Going out on the highest-grossing entry, on a real case, with the original leads, is a far more graceful exit than most nine-film franchises ever manage.
What it nails
- ▲Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as Ed and Lorraine Warren and remain the franchise's beating heart, giving the finale genuine emotional weight.
- ▲Grounding the story in the real-life Smurl haunting case keeps the series' signature 'based on a true story' hook intact and lends the scares a documentary frisson.
- ▲As the ninth installment and marketed franchise finale, it delivers closure for the Warrens that long-time fans actually wanted.
- ▲It became the highest-grossing film in the entire Conjuring universe at nearly $500 million worldwide, proof the audience affection is enormous and very real.
What it botches
- ▼A 54 Metacritic and mixed reviews mean critics found it more comfortable than frightening, leaning on the franchise's familiar jump-scare grammar.
- ▼By the ninth installment the Conjuring playbook is deeply worn, so the haunting beats land as routine rather than revelatory.
- ▼Marketing it as the Warrens' finale raises the emotional stakes higher than a by-the-numbers script can always pay off.
- ▼Director Michael Chaves works squarely inside the established house style, which delivers consistency but little of the surprise that made the first films land.
Who it's for
Conjuring devotees who want to see Ed and Lorraine off properly, and fans of true-case supernatural horror who like their hauntings warm, familiar, and built on Wilson-Farmiga chemistry.
Who should skip
Anyone hoping a nine-film-deep franchise will reinvent itself, and horror fans who found the series' jump-scare formula stale three sequels ago.
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